We Stand as One
by TB Viking Addict
Summary: Bella catches the eye of a certain Original when Victoria kills her and her spirit mysteriously appears on the Other Side. With nothing left to lose and a lonely eternity stretching out before her, she makes a pact with him that irrevocably changes the course of her future... Can the Original Bad Boy teach a girl who's been abandoned at every turn the meaning of Always and Forever?
1. The End of the Road

_**A/N**__: _

_Happy holidays, everybody! As my gift to you, I decided to post the first chapter of a new crossover that I started a while ago. I'm not sure when I'll be updating it next, so please be patient. I have a lot of medical problems and a couple other stories that need updating before I work my way back to this one. Just a reminder, I write to entertain myself, so spare me the flames if you just want to torch it. Hit the back button and you'll find dozens of other stories to enjoy._

_This fic technically begins in TVD, but it's mainly focused on the Originals. I haven't actually watched much of TVD, though, so please give me a little leeway if I screw something up or the timelines don't quite match. I'm a Mikaelson girl through and through._

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Twilight or the Originals. I'm just a writer who likes her vampires wild._

* * *

Kol met her by happenstance, a rare and extraordinary moment of pure luck.

Darkness had fallen on Mystic Falls hours before he stumbled across her, bringing with it a boredom so intense and familiar that it made him restless. Sleep was a thing of the past, a luxury only the living were granted, and he often spent those quiet, late night hours wandering aimlessly through the empty streets. There wasn't much to do on the Other Side and he could only take so much of stalking his crazy family or the murderous Gilbert siblings before he needed a break from his impotent rage. He was forced to put some distance between them for his own peace of mind, but he couldn't seem to find the will to leave the accursed town behind entirely.

He feared he was becoming a bit of a masochist.

The backfiring of an ancient, red pickup truck drew his attention to an unfamiliar brunette as she pulled into the parking lot of the only inn in town. For reasons he couldn't explain, Kol found himself pausing to watch her as she turned off the engine and climbed out of the rusty deathtrap. Head tilted, he stood on the edge of the lot as she hoisted a worn duffle bag over her shoulder and shut the door with a noisy slam.

She was clearly exhausted and about to fall asleep on her feet, but Kol didn't really notice that. He was too preoccupied with taking in the beauty of her. The moon itself seemed to favor the girl, highlighting the delicate shade of her ivory skin with its silken rays. Under its tender care, her petite, heart shaped face took on a subtle gleam, made all the more striking by the contrast of dark, mahogany locks cascading down her shoulders. She was surprisingly small, no taller than five foot four, and possessed a set of soulful eyes so wide they resembled a doe's. He liked the color of them, a shade so rich and warm it reminded him of hot chocolate.

After walking the earth for a thousand years, Kol had seen his fair share of beautiful women, but there was something special about this one that set her apart. It was surprising, when he reflected on it, because she didn't have the face of a model or the luscious body of an exotic dancer. In fact, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about her that made her stand out. She was weary and worn down, hovering on the brink of exhaustion, but there was something almost ethereal about her. He'd spent countless nights with women that were utterly gorgeous, yet never one with a girl quite like her.

Inhaling deeply on reflex, Kol nearly purred when he tasted her scent in the air. Not for the first time, he felt the phantom desire to feed. It was almost unfair how delicious she smelled, like ripened strawberries and wildflowers. His gaze briefly wandered to the slope of her neck and his mouth actually watered. With a heavy swallow, he tore his eyes away from that tempting sight and trailed them down her slender form.

He was so distracted by the dips and curves of her body that he didn't notice the Cold One stepping out of the shadows until it was too late. Before he could so much as blink, the beautiful brunette was being slammed up against the truck by a viciously gleeful redhead. Her abrupt appearance was so unexpected that he almost flinched in surprise.

"Bella," the redhead cooed and Kol raised his eyebrows in disbelief. The vampire knew the pretty human by name, a puzzling piece of news since Kol knew for a fact that few Cold Ones interacted with the human world. "It figures I'd finally catch up to you in a dump like this one. What is it with you and shithole towns?"

Kol was intrigued by how calm Bella appeared. He knew she was afraid, he could hear her heart racing and smell her fear, but she didn't let it show. With a defiant lift of her chin, she responded in an even, measured tone, "Well, I don't know, Victoria. Maybe small towns just remind me of home." Tilting her head, she remarked, "I have to admit, I expected to see you sooner... I did leave Forks over _a year ago_." To Kol's amazement, a sly smile crept across her face before she taunted, "Then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised it took you so long to find me. James was the tracker, wasn't he?" Her voice turned wicked, taking on a sinfully amused note, "You must be so _lost_ without him."

Kol ventured closer in curiosity, not the least bit surprised when the redhead snapped and roughly flung the brunette across the parking lot. He couldn't understand what possessed the girl to taunt a Cold One like that. He was tempted to call her foolish for provoking her wrath, but something held him back. There was a certain confidence to her demeanor that told him she wasn't acting impulsively. While he might not understand her actions, he was convinced she was more cunning than she looked. Bella knew exactly what she was doing.

She wasn't foolish at all, he decided. She was brave.

"You insolent, little girl," Victoria sneered, circling her like a lion would its prey. "I'm going to enjoy this, Bella. I'm going to enjoy finishing my mate's hunt." In a flash, she'd buried her hand in Bella's hair. Mercilessly pulling her to her feet, the redhead lamented, "I only wish that idiotic telepath were here to see it." Yanking her head back, she brought her lips to the girl's ear and whispered, "I guess I can always replay it for him later. What do you think, Bella? Would Edward enjoy that?"

For the first time that night, Kol watched Bella's composure slip. Face crumpling in pain, she visibly flinched at the sound of Edward's name. Her eyes hardened a beat later, her expression smoothing out into an emotionless mask, and Kol found himself grudgingly impressed. Bella knew Victoria was getting off on her pain, so she deprived her of it. She didn't react to the taunting, wouldn't scream when she was wounded. Her life was on the line, but she refused to cry or plead. She wasn't going to give the redhead that satisfaction.

It didn't take long for Kol to connect the dots. Victoria was avenging the death of her mate. Bella obviously wasn't strong enough to end a Cold One, but Victoria believed killing her would torment Edward, the man responsible for the death of her James. Because Edward took someone from her, she planned to take someone from him. It was revenge at its most simplistic.

And he would know. Kol considered bloody revenge his area of expertise.

"If you think my death will hurt Edward in any way, then I pity you, Victoria," Bella rasped, nearly breathless from the painful grip the redhead had on her hair. "Don't you get it? I was just a distraction for Edward, a _pet._ When he grew bored of me, he left. He threw me away like a bad penny." Victoria shook her head in clear disagreement and Bella let out a bitter, incredulous laugh, "You don't believe me? Tell me, Victoria, what kind of vampire abandons his mate?"

Oddly enough, her words came as no surprise to Kol. He'd already deduced that this Edward she mentioned cared very little for her. Any idiot with a dash of common sense knew not to allow a vengeful mate to live. If you killed one of the mated pair, you must dispose of the other. To leave Bella alone while the bloodthirsty redhead still existed just showed how little Edward valued her life. He'd as good as given her a death sentence and Bella seemed keenly aware of that fact.

Kol thought him a fool. If he had a girl like that, he'd certainly never toss her aside.

"I guess we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Victoria said with a sweet smile before forcefully shoving her to the ground again. "Now, which leg was it that James broke? The right?"

Kol winced as she slammed her foot down on Bella's right leg, instantly shattering the bone. The girl cried out involuntarily, bringing a malicious grin to the Cold One's face. Tapping her chin in a mockingly pensive way, Victoria shook her head, "Oh, wait, that's not right, is it? Now that I think about it, I'm certain it was the left." She shrugged dismissively, "No matter, easy fix." A sickening snap was heard as she stomped on Bella's left leg too. "There we go, that's better." She canted her head to the side and mused, "I wonder how many bones I can break without making you bleed."

"You won't get the chance to find out," Bella gritted out a split second before the tantalizing scent of her blood filled the air. Piecing together what she'd done, Kol smirked in approval. Instead of allowing Victoria to torture her, she'd sliced her arm open with a shard of glass she found on the ground.

"Clever little bird," he admired softly. Cold Ones were renowned for their insatiable bloodlust, which was why they so rarely interacted with the human world. A single drop of blood could drive the oldest of their kind into a feeding frenzy. Clearly, it was something Bella was also aware of.

Her earlier taunting made sense to him now. From the second she saw Victoria, Bella knew she was doomed. With nothing left to lose, she'd antagonized her with the goal of making her snap. Victoria wanted her death to last, to torture her for hours before bleeding her dry. Days, even, if she could get away with it. Bella intended to foil that plan; if it couldn't be painless, then she wanted her death to at least be quick.

The poor girl got her wish.

Victoria was on her in an instant, viciously tearing into her neck with her venom coated teeth. Kol felt a pang of disappointment as he watched Bella's body grow limp and the light fade from her vibrant eyes. She was an intriguing and clever little human, one he wouldn't mind getting to know. He couldn't help but think it was a shame that he'd never get to meet her.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Only the supernatural walked the Other Side when they died.

Kol was already walking away when he suddenly registered the muted scent of saline in the air and heard a heart-wrenching cry. Instinct had him turning to look at the source and what he saw made him stumble back in astonishment. Not five feet away from him was Bella, who'd fallen to her knees in pure grief. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she wept, her watery eyes trained forlornly on her lifeless body and the oblivious Cold One still feeding from it.

"Well, now," Kol murmured to himself, a thrill running through him, "isn't that intriguing?"

Sensing his presence, Bella's teary eyes darted away from her body and locked with his. Her grief gave way to cautious surprise and Kol couldn't quite pinpoint why he was so relieved that she could actually see him.

Slowly, his lips tilted up into a devilish smirk.


	2. Misplaced Loyalty

_**A/N**__:_

_Happy holidays, everyone! I wasn't expecting to update this so soon, but I finished it quicker than I thought I would. Consider this chapter my Christmas gift to all of you._

_It's a little short- my updates should be a bit longer after this one. If you're interested in reading it on another platform, the first chapter's been uploaded to STARS, but it's not up on WP yet._

_For those of you bursting with goodwill, 4padfoot set up a donation link on my WP. I have severe medical problems that prevent me from holding a job. I'm currently pursuing Disability, but it's taking a lot longer than I hoped. If you're willing to donate, please do. Every penny helps. You can find the link at TBVikingAddict. wordpress. com (no spaces). It's at the top of the grey bar on the bottom of the page._

_**Disclaimer**__: I do not own the Twilight Saga, TVD, or the Originals. They belong to Stephanie Meyer and the CW, respectively. I'm just a writer who thinks Bella and Kol are downright magical together._

* * *

Bella wasn't a stranger to death. In truth, she'd been outrunning it ever since the Cullens had introduced themselves into her life. Between Edward's bloodlust, the van that nearly crushed her, and the nomads that kept targeting her, Bella was keenly aware of her own mortality. She'd been fighting so hard for so long just for the chance to keep breathing that she didn't expect how easy it would be to finally _let go. _

Living was hard. Dying... dying was easy.

The quickness of her end astonished her. One moment Victoria was sinking her teeth into her neck and the next she was staring at her own body. It'd happened so fast that it honestly took her a second to comprehend it. She'd known the instant Victoria appeared that death had finally caught up to her, but she still found it difficult to accept.

And then the loss sank in. Her knees buckled as a cry of pure grief wrenched itself from her throat. It wasn't _fair_. She'd spent so long trying to outrun death that she'd never had the opportunity to really live. Was this truly how it ended? After so much struggle and sacrifice, she died alone in the parking lot of some crappy inn in Virginia? A pawn in some petty vampire's revenge against a boy who cared so little for her that he left her stranded in the woods?

Bella had always secretly believed in fate and destiny, but she couldn't sense fate's hand in this. Naively, she'd always believed that there was something more waiting for her, something extraordinary. In what world was it fair that she died at nineteen while people like Edward got to live for centuries? Immortality was _wasted_ on him. If Bella had eternal life at her fingertips, she'd savor every moment of it. She certainly wouldn't spend it bemoaning her lost humanity.

Devastated, she'd only just begun to accept that this was it, that her spirit had really left her body, when she looked up and locked eyes with Kol Mikaelson.

Self-consciously wiping at the endless flood of tears spilling down her cheeks, Bella watched him warily as he casually strolled towards her. She'd never been a fan of crying in front of others. It made her feel weak, vulnerable. After the traumatizing way her one and only relationship ended, followed by her eviction from Forks by the pack she'd embraced as family, Bella was certain she'd felt enough vulnerability to last a lifetime. No need for it to follow her into the afterlife too.

Suddenly, she felt cheated. Wasn't death supposed to make her feel at peace?

As if he could hear her thoughts, Kol made a sympathetic noise and chided, "You've just been murdered, darling. Rather violently, in fact." He came to a stop in front of her and extended his hand, offering to help her to her feet, "I think you're entitled to a few tears."

Struggling to come to terms with this new shift in her reality, Bella stared at his proffered hand. She felt so lost and empty inside. It was as if her death had somehow cut all the ties binding her to her loved ones and cast her very soul adrift. The man in front of her was throwing her a much needed lifeline, if she was willing to take it.

What made Bella hesitate was how different she could sense he was. He moved like a predator, all sensuous muscle, grace, and fluidity. If her disastrous foray into the supernatural world had taught her anything, it was how to identify dangerous creatures like him. He wasn't human, she knew that as surely as she knew her last name.

He was also clearly not an angel. There was nothing about him or the devilish look on his face that she found reassuring. He wasn't surrounded by a peaceful white light and Bella, who had never really given much thought to the afterlife, was beginning to wonder just what she was in for. It was rather disconcerting to realize her soul wasn't quite welcome on Heaven's doorstep.

The pendulum inevitably swung the other way and she tensed slightly at the possibility of being in Hell before slowly dismissing the notion. Other than yearning to become a vampire, Bella didn't have a list of deep, dark sins. She simply hadn't done anything bad enough to earn her a one way ticket to the fiery pit. Brow creasing in thought, she wondered if that meant she'd landed somewhere in between, a purgatory of sorts.

Behind Kol, Victoria was coming down from her blood haze and let out a shriek of rage once she realized what Bella had done. Deciding she wanted to be nowhere near the volatile redhead, she finally slipped her hand into his and allowed him to haul her to her feet.

It didn't escape Bella's notice that his skin felt cooler than hers. While he wasn't as cold as the vampires she knew, he lacked the warmth of a human. She idly marveled over the fact that she could still feel the difference. Miraculously, she felt like her heart was still beating, like she still needed to breathe, and yet nothing felt the same as it did before she died. Her senses worked, but everything felt duller, muted somehow. Perhaps she only had a heartbeat at all because it was something she was used to and her mind had mimicked the sensation.

Kol briefly glanced at their hands in wonder as she collected herself, savoring the sensation that accompanied the touch of another. Part of him had expected his hand to go right through her, like it would if she were still alive. The ability to touch someone was something that he dearly missed. The fact that he could feel the weight of her hand in his was a small miracle to Kol. He'd begun to think it was an experience he'd never have again.

With the exception of the other ghosts in town during the whole veil fiasco, Bella was the first soul he'd encountered on the Other Side. He wasn't sure how the rules applied to her, especially since her appearance alone meant she'd just destroyed everything he thought he knew.

Uneasy with the scrutiny, Bella tugged her hand free and Kol reluctantly allowed it. A bit amused by her skittish reaction, he gave her an overdramatic, courtly bow, "Kol Mikaelson, at your serv-"

"What are you?" she asked point blank, bringing him up short. Slowly straightening up, Kol eyed her speculatively. He'd never been caught out so quickly before, not by a human at least.

Then again, Bella _wasn't_ human, was she? Her presence here meant she was every bit as supernatural as he was, a curious thing since she didn't use any inhuman abilities to defend herself against the Cold One that attacked her.

"Dead," he said with an impish grin, hoping to distract her until he could figure out why she was here, "just like you, darling." Stretching his arms out, he stated, "Welcome to the Other Side."

"The Other Side?"

Kol nodded and lowered his arms, studying her expression carefully as he explained, "It's where Supernaturals go when we die."

Bella stumbled in surprise and Kol steadied her by gripping her arm. Bewildered, she met his gaze, looking at him with so much confusion on her face that he realized she didn't understand why she'd ended up here anymore than he did.

Obviously, she wasn't a Cold One. Given that she didn't smell like a vampire, shifter, or werewolf either, there was really only one possibility left, but it was an idea that Kol found equally puzzling. If Bella possessed magic, why wouldn't she use it? Better yet, why couldn't he _sense_ it?

Kol had always been highly attuned to magic, an unfortunate side effect of losing his own. While all vampires could sense it to a degree, it usually felt so tangible to him that he could nearly taste it on his tongue. He supposed it was possible that being dead nullified his ability to detect it, but he'd felt the Bennett witch's magic just a few days ago, mere hours after she died. After giving it a moment of genuine thought, he realized that he might've only sensed Bonnie's because the partial lowering of the veil had made them both corporeal.

Victoria passed them in a blur, bringing their conversation to a grinding halt. They both paused, reflexively glancing over at Bella's lifeless body. Slowly releasing her arm, Kol raised an eyebrow and wondered, "Will she not cover her tracks?"

"No," Bella sighed and turned away, unable to look at her bloody and broken shell of a body a moment longer, "she wants my friends to know that she killed me. She's provoking them to come after her. Now that she's avenged her mate, she wants someone to reunite them."

Bella had mixed feelings about it herself. Part of her hated the idea of Victoria using her death against her loved ones like that. The rest of her was strangely relieved. In her suicidal quest, Victoria had unknowingly granted Bella a kindness. The authorities would find her body eventually and give her parents the closure they deserved. Charlie, the steadfast cop that he was, wouldn't waste the rest of his life futilely searching for her.

She'd always heard that it was better to grieve than to wonder.

"Your friends?" Kol repeated, voice lilting in curiosity. "Why were you alone if you have friends capable of ending her?"

Bella winced, regretting the slip. Neither the Cullens nor the Pack were really her friends anymore. Both groups had abandoned her the second things got messy. The Cullens had left her not long after her disaster of a birthday party and the Pack had forced her out of Forks less than a year later. The second the wolves realized Victoria was assembling an army to attack La Push, Sam retracted their offer of protection. Hell, they'd practically packed her bags for her in their haste to send her on her way.

Even Jacob, her best friend, had turned his back on her. When it came down to it, protecting Bella put the lives of his father and new imprint at risk. The bond he shared with Angela Weber, a bond that had initially relieved Bella when it was first formed, meant Angela's life was more important to him than hers. Though he didn't want Bella to die, he needed her to leave to protect the people he loved most.

At the time, she'd understood. Bella didn't want to put her friends and family in mortal danger anymore than they did. Now that she was dead, however, she could feel her opinion changing so rapidly it hurt. The Pack had sacrificed her, _let_ Victoria drain her, and that knowledge stung brutally.

It was funny, really. Bella's heart had stopped beating, but it was the Pack that felt dead to her now.

"It's a long story," she said evasively, speaking the words out of habit. It was practically ingrained in her to shy away from any vampire or wolf related topic at this point. Sadly, it was also bitterly ironic; she'd quite literally taken their secrets to her grave, Quileute and Cullen alike.

A part of her died all over again when she realized just how worthless her loyalty was. Her broken body laid not forty feet away from her and she'd yet to see any sign of the Cullens. While the Pack had no way of knowing Victoria had finally caught up to her, the Cullens _did_. The fact that they hadn't used that knowledge to save her life pained her. Even though Bella had often told herself over the last year not to expect help from the coven that abandoned her, some foolish, naive part of her had still clung to the hope that Alice would see her death and come to save her from it. Leaving Bella to die was confirmation that she meant as little to Alice as she did to Edward.

Feeling more lost than ever, she decided that taking their secrets to her grave was where her misplaced loyalty would end. The Pack and the Cullens would have to accept that it was enough, because she had no intentions of keeping their secrets a moment longer.

Turning to Kol, she opened her mouth to explain, only to close it with an audible snap. While she was no longer bound by her loyalty to the Pack and Cullens, that didn't mean she should confide in the first Supernatural to cross her path. She didn't know who or what Kol was. He was a complete and utter stranger to her and Bella... well, Bella was running low on trust.

Noticing her reticence, Kol flashed her a charming smile, a dazzling array of pearly whites. He held her gaze as he promised, "Unluckily for you, we have nothing but time."

Bella stiffened, the casually uttered comment causing fear to grip her heart. For the first time since she met the Cullens, the thought of eternity scared her.

* * *

***Update as of 7/19***

So, the next chapter may take a while. Unfortunately, my house has been hit by COVID. My dad was briefly hospitalized last week, where he tested positive. My mom and I are still waiting for our test results, but it's starting to look like I may be asymptomatic (a genuine miracle, since I have the worst lungs in the family).

Since my mom's showing symptoms too, I'm suddenly the healthiest person in the house, which is downright hilarious since I have serious mobility issues. I'm normally on bedrest, but now I'm the only one healthy enough to do the things they normally help me with, like make them dinner, get their prescriptions, etc. For someone with serious medical issues, becoming the caretaker for two others is incredibly draining.

I'm sorry, guys, but right now posting the next chapter is the least of my concerns. Hopefully that will change in a few weeks.

Stay safe. Wash your hands, wear a mask, keep your social distance.

—TBVA


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